Residents urge council to bring museum back

Lewis Smith, Local Democracy Reporter

A petition that calls for a new and permanent museum to be developed in a Welsh town has been given to members of the council.

The petition, which asked Neath Port Talbot council to create a museum facility for Neath, was presented to members at a full council meeting in January, 2026, and asks for a space to champion the town’s history and ancient heritage.

It was signed by almost 600 residents from the area between September and November of 2025, who put their name to the e-petition in support of the move.

The town of Neath is known for having a number of historical sites including Neath castle and the 12th century Neath Abbey, which is considered one of the most impressive monastic remains in Wales.

Historical artefacts from the area were previously displayed at the town’s Gwyn Hall, though the collection is understood to have been placed in to storage during the building’s renovation and is no longer on public display.

Speaking at the council meeting, local historian and author Jordan Brinkworth said there was a keen desire to have a museum back in the town which had an “extensive recorded history spanning some 10,000 years.”

Addressing the chamber, he said this history ranged from the Stone-age to Celts, Romans, Normans and a great deal of industrial heritage, adding that anywhere else would have a museum.

He said: “I’m standing here today not only because 565 people voted to have a museum back in Neath, I’m standing here because of all the thousands of people who’ve attended my exhibitions, film screenings and talks.

“I’m standing here because Neath has one of the richest histories in all of Europe. It has a heritage that doesn’t deserve to be simply forgotten. Ultimately, I stand here today to ask you the council to create a museum in Neath.”

He argued that while such a facility would not likely be financially profitable, it could help promote tourism and provide a number of cultural benefits to the town and its residents.

This would include improving community cohesion and giving a morale boost to the community who would be more likely to take pride in the area they lived if they knew its history.

Responding to the request, Cllr Cen Phillips said he agreed with the aim of bringing museum provision back to Neath and being able to give members of the public access to local artefacts.

He also noted that the authority was working to identify viable museum options for the town and to improve future management of its historical collection in order to build towards its accreditation.

He said: “While our ambition of permanent museum provision as requested in the petition is still some way off becoming a reality we are making real progress in working towards that aim.

“We welcome this petition and the community support it demonstrates for our museum ambitions and we’ll be continuing to work to identify the best solution that can be sustainable for the long term.”

Other councillors also took part in the debate, with a widespread support for the idea seen across the chamber.

Some also asked if it would be possible to look at the idea of a museum of Neath Port Talbot that looked at the history of the whole borough and included other areas such as Port Talbot, Briton Ferry, and parts of the Swansea Valley.

The talks come just weeks after the discovery of a Roman style villa in neighbouring Port Talbot that has been described as having the potential to be Port Talbot’s Pompeii.